Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 3, 2025
The man's eyes said more than his lips, and the woman sat, strained and silent, or else uttered forced commonplaces. They were alone at last on the veranda, with night and the vast distances enfolding them. The air was close and hot, the sky banked with storm clouds, and, occasionally, there were flashes of sheet lightning and low growls of thunder. Before long the head-station was very quiet.
Then out of the gum forests they had gone through the great western plains, covering ground fairly easily, for McKeith had arranged to have fresh horses on the road, and they always drove a spare pair ahead of the buggy. Occasionally they stopped at a head-station.
What they saw was a row of mutilated bodies, lying stark along the veranda of that head-station on the Leura. Bridget was leaning forward in her squatter's chair, her fingers grasping the arms of it, her face very white and her eyes staring too, as though they also beheld the scene of horror. Presently McKeith came back, pale too, but quite composed. 'I beg your pardon, he said stiffly.
It appeared that the tribe had followed in hot pursuit of the fugitives, and, knowing his peril, Wombo had sneaked up to the head-station in the darkness, possessed himself of an effectual weapon, and fled away with the gun. The offended blacks had discovered the guilty pair on the outskirts of Breeza Downs, and Oola's husband, with a company of braves, had attacked their gunya. My word!
'Well, I reckon it's best not to keep them on the head-station against the Boss's orders, persisted Ninnis. Lady Bridget set her little white teeth. 'Naturally, Mr McKeith's orders don't apply to ME as I had to tell Mrs Hensor. 'Mrs Hensor knows the Boss better than most people, said Ninnis, at which Lady Bridget flashed out. 'We need not discuss that question, Mr Ninnis.
The details of Moongarr head-station became familiar enough later to its new mistress. Besides the dwelling houses were various huts and outbuildings. The stock-yards lay on a piece of level ground behind at the side of the gully, and between the yards and the House stood a small slab and bark cottage the Bachelors' Quarters.
To a certainty he would be hanged if the matter ran its ordinary course. That it should not do, Bridget declared within herself if she could by any possibility prevent it. The half-caste woman and the white lady went swiftly through the gidia scrub towards the head-station.
So having arrived at her decision and wishing to put off the inevitable scene as long as possible, she set forth by another route for the head-station.
Him come close-up long-a srub throw 'im spear, NULLA-NULLA plenty look out Wombo. YUCKE! YUCKE! Lathychap suppose Massa let Wombo sit down long-a head-station two day, three day black fellow get tired up stick no more look out. No catch 'im Wombo. Lady Bridget came down the steps from the veranda and went up to McKeith. 'Colin, what the gin says is true.
First thing I did was to reduce the staff and bar everything but bare necessaries I sent off the Chinamen and every spare hand. Ninnis and I and the stockman a first-rate chap, Moongarr Bill worked the run just the three of us. You can guess how we managed it. A Malay boy did cooky for the head-station. After Christmas I left Ninnis and Bill to look after the place.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking